Fig. 3.

Morphometric evaluation of the spatial distribution of macrophages and mast cells in the central axis of duodenal villus. (A) Representative results of the analysis based on spatial statistics. In each plot the difference G(d)–Go(d) is drawn, together with the 95% confidence limits around the value 0 for such a difference. The spatial relationship between cells and the central axis of the villus has been reported. Solid lines indicate the difference between the observed distribution of cell-to-axis distances [G(d)] and the estimated distribution [Go(d)] under the hypothesis of complete spatial randomness (CSR). Dotted lines indicate the 95% confidence envelope for CSR. In both groups both cell types are localized around the central axis of the villi, as indicated by a frequency of short distances significantly higher than expected by chance. (B) Mean distances between cells and the central axis of the villi. When compared to the samples from wild-type mice, macrophages from tg6 mice are significantly (P < 0.05) closer to the central axis of the villi, as indicated by their lower mean cell-to-axis distance. Error bars are SD. *P < 0.05 (two-sample Student’s t-test).